Meet My Kingfisher – A Little Flash of Hope...

When I painted this kingfisher, I had no idea it would become the first bird in a new collection.

At the time, I was in the middle of chemotherapy and simply painting whatever felt right. Looking back, I can see that I was searching for things that brought me comfort, optimism and a sense of normality during a difficult period.

The kingfisher seemed to capture all of those things.

Bright, colourful and full of life, it is a bird that often appears unexpectedly. One moment there is nothing, and the next there is a brilliant flash of blue and orange disappearing along the riverbank.

It felt like the perfect symbol of hope.

Not the grand, dramatic kind of hope we often imagine, but the quieter version. The hope found in a good day. A reassuring conversation. A walk by the sea. A message from a friend. The small moments that help us keep moving forward.

As treatment continued, I found myself painting more birds.

A determined woodpecker followed, then an elegant avocet. Without consciously planning it, each bird seemed to represent something I was learning or holding onto during treatment.

The woodpecker became a symbol of resilience and determination.

The avocet represented grace and finding calm in uncertainty.

Only recently have I realised these paintings belong together.

I've started calling the collection Feathered Friends because that is exactly what they have become. Companions of sorts. Small reminders of the qualities that have helped me navigate one of the most challenging chapters of my life.

I don't yet know exactly where the collection will lead. There are more birds I'd like to paint and more stories I'd like to tell. But looking back, I can see that it all started here.

With a kingfisher.

With a little flash of hope.

And with a reminder that even during difficult times, there is always something beautiful waiting to catch your eye.